Martinez to make the most of a bittersweet senior year
She stepped into the locker room wearing an oversized walking boot on her left foot — merely a precautionary measure following a trying weekend meet in Southern Utah.
The normal aches and pains ever present throughout gymnastics season were of little concern to her as she greeted her coach, unaware of the morning’s surprising news.
McKinzey Martinez listened intently from her seat on a bench as Utah State’s head gymnastics coach Nadalie Walsh congratulated her for being named the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference Specialist of the Week. The weekly honor had everything to do with a particularly stellar bars routine, for which Martinez was awarded a 9.950 — the highest score given to an Aggie gymnast for any event in over a decade.
“I saw them put up a 9.9 and thought ‘oh that’s exciting,’” Martinez said. “Then I saw my score was actually a 9.950 and I didn’t even know what to think.”
Coach Walsh was understandably complimentary of the senior’s routine, and not just for the season-high score.
“She just really has beautiful and flawless gymnastics, and it all came together at the right time that day,” Walsh said. “She’s a really calm competitor.”
The senior took the news of her first weekly award in the Mountain Rim with a smile, though her excitement was tempered by a desire for improvement.
“This last weekend bars was exciting, but the other events I wasn’t happy with,” Martinez said. “But they’re easy fixes, so I’m just ready to go back out there.”
The urge to perform has been a part of Martinez’ character since her earliest days as a gymnast. The youngest of 11 children, the Idaho native first experienced gymnastics through her older sister — who wanted nothing to do with the sport.
“My sister got a free pass to do a trial class for gymnastics,” Martinez said. “So we went in there, and she cried because she didn’t want to do it, and I threw a fit because my parents wouldn’t let me.”
Fortunately for the budding gymnast, being the youngest had its perks.
“I started teaching myself flips at home on the couch,” Martinez said with a grin. “So they decided to put me in gymnastics.”
The sport has since taken Martinez on a long, sometimes painful road. As a freshman, Martinez dislocated her elbow on a vault routine, requiring season-ending surgery. Five meets into the following season, she landed awkwardly while practicing a floor routine, tearing her left ACL.
Martinez’ stoic dedication to the sport brought her back from both surgeries to earn second-team all-MRGC honors in the all-around last season, and provides added motivation to perform in her final year at USU.
“I want to have a really good year because my first two years I didn’t get to compete in full seasons,” Martinez said. “I have to remind myself putting extra pressure isn’t going to help anything.”
“With McKinzey I think deep down she is thinking about it,” Walsh said. “She’s so much in love with the sport, that it’s so much a part of who she is. I’m sure deep down in there she’s wondering ‘What am I going to do when I’m done with this?’ As her coach I want to help her keep getting everything she can out of every routine and every competition, but also to keep showing her she’s more than a gymnast.”
Coach Walsh visibly admires Martinez’ undying love for gymnastics.
“I’ve had athletes before that were equally talented but that lost that passion, and it’s just not the same,” Walsh said.
The generally reserved senior rarely makes her voice heard in the locker room, preferring to lead by example.
“When McKinzey decides to speak up, she has a lot of wisdom,” Walsh said. “Most of the time she’s very quiet, she may do some talking to athletes on the sides or behind the scenes.”
“I don’t talk a lot,” Martinez said. “I say stuff when I feel it’s necessary.”
Coach Walsh considers a nationals appearance to be a worthy goal for Martinez, who would need to place as a top-2 finisher in the regional all-around in order to qualify.
“That would be a huge goal, but I believe that she could accomplish that,” Walsh said. “It just takes being in the right mindset on the right day at the right time.”
As for the senior, she just hopes to enjoy the ride.
“I love gymnastics; it’s been my whole life,” Martinez said. “Never have I lost passion for the sport. It’s easy for me to go in the gym and practice, it’s easy for me to go out and compete because it’s what I love to do.”
— logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @logantj